


The Jackson Whittemore Ex-Friends Support Club

by wickedstarfairy



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Jackson Whittemore is a Hale, Jackson says fuck a lot, Jealous Jackson, M/M, Stackson is Endgame, Teen Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 16:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14312538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wickedstarfairy/pseuds/wickedstarfairy
Summary: Jackson finds out that Peter is his biological father and copes by cutting Derek from his circle of friends. Derek isn't the first this has happened to. No Jackson has been dealing with his emotions this way since kindergarten. But Derek's going to make him regret it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this is only my second fic ever, first in the Teen Wolf fandom. I don't have a beta and I'm super nervous about posting this b/c it's probably shit, but I'm trying to write more and this is what was in my head. Feed back greatly appreciated.

Stiles feels sorry for Derek. Derek Hale. Derek freaking Hale! Well okay maybe sorry isn’t the right word for how he currently feels about Derek. Empathizes? Is that the right word? Maybe… anyways. Derek’s already had a hard few years. There’s a myth amongst the underclassmen that Derek was actually quite awkward and unpopular his freshman year. Stiles is fairly certain it’s just something his fellow underclassmen made up to feel better about their own awkwardness. After all Derek Hale is the light in the metaphorical darkness that is BHHS that the moths of popularity flock too. Well one of them anyways. He knows for a fact that by his own freshman year – Derek’s sophomore year – there was not so much as a drop of awkward left to Derek Hale.

Derek started dating Paige Krasikeva about a month into the school year and despite only being sophomores they where _the_ BHHS it couple. Stiles is 100% that Jackson and Lydia started dating to gain that same level of popularity. Derek and Paige were together for over a year when one night on their way back from a party some drunk driver crashed into them. Paige didn’t survive, Derek was driving. Between the time the crash happened and when an official statement was made announcing that a second car was not only involved but the cause half the school had started blaming Derek. And the guy clearly still blames himself. But after the arrest of Ennis Wade was made everyone that had accused Derek of killing Paige suddenly loved him again. If he hadn’t already had whiplash right?

Then came Kate. Let’s see how do we describe Kate? Crazy? No too broad… manipulative sociopath? Better but still missing something. Oh pedophile! Manipulative pedophile sociopath. Yeah that’s it, that’s Kate Argent. Stiles doesn’t know everything that went down, but he knows more than most thanks to his dad being the Sheriff. Basically the Hales and the Agrents hate the living shit out of each other. Kate convinced Derek that they were a modern Romeo and Juliet – true love caught in the middle of their families hate. And Derek apparently paid no attention to the second half of freshman English and missed the ending of that particular classic. He was seventeen at the time and she was twenty-eight. He was into it at first, but then he wasn’t and she doesn’t like the word “no” being directed at her. Then she tired to kidnap him and burn down his family’s house.

If Stiles had lived Derek’s last two years, if he were even still live at this point, his life would be nothing but the safety of a cozy blanket cocoon in his own bed, in his own room, in his own house never to be looked upon by the eyes of another living soul. Except his dad and Scotty obviously. But Derek Hale? Derek freaking Hale still walks in like he owns the place, like he is a god amongst we mere mortals. Well he hasn’t dated since Kate, which was almost a year ago. The number of people that Derek willing hangs out with is down to like five. No four, thanks to Jackson’s most recent meltdown.

Jackson freaking Whittemore! So shit at dealing with feelings and emotions that if he didn’t have a full meltdown every few years Stiles would swear he was a robot! But then maybe he is a robot and the meltdowns are system crashes. Every time his system crashes he has to be rebooted and the knowledge of one person has to be cut. Because that’s what happens, Jackson gets some knowledge dropped on him that he just can’t handle, has his meltdown, then when he comes back his enter-circle is less one. Derek Hale is the latest, but there’s a long line that came before him going all the way back to kindergarten.

“We have club meetings every Wednesday,” Stiles says to Derek after the older boy’s angry has him fumbling his locker combination for a third time.

“What?” Derek asks confused. Of course he’s confused, hell it came out of Stiles’ mouth and he’s confused. Just tell him it was nothing and walk away.

“It…” WAS NOTHING. “The Jackson Whittemore Ex-Friends Support Club.” That was not what was supposed to come out of his mouth! And it’s making Derek’s whole face do this ‘I will murder you’ thing. Just tell him sorry and WALK AWAY. “It’s a mouthful but,” no, NO, don’t do it! DON’T DO IT! “so am I.” Oh My God. A _dick_ joke? REALLY?

“What?” You and me both Hale, you and me both.

“Wednesday at four thirty, the café on Pullman,” Stiles states as he closes his locker and turns to walk the other way. Only to walk right into a shocked Scott. Somehow Stiles keeps ahold of his external cool well enough to only slightly jump out of his skin before side stepping Scott and continuing down the hall to his English class.

“What the fuck was that?!” Scott questions catching up.

“I… have not a clue. But I’m fairly certain that my body and mind completely separated back there.” Stiles stops walking, takes a deep breath, then does this whole-body spasm thing before turning big brown owl eyes to his best friend. “What the fuck did I just do?”

“I’m not 100% but I think you just asked Derek Hale out,” Scott offers.

Before Stiles can fill Scott in on the first part of that little chat – which will hopeful prove that he did not in fact ask Derek Hale out – some passing girl looks right at him before turning back to her friends giggling.

“Did you hear that? Stiles Stilinski asked Derek Hale out!” Stiles hears her say followed by a chorus of giggles and ‘Oh my god’s.

“Dude,” Scott says.

Oh shit.

 

Jackson was starting to think the universe itself was out to get him. He’d said as much to Danny last week when he was finally capable of facing the world outside of his own room again. Danny of course had reminded him that there were entire countries that were much worse off. And yeah okay, no food, dirty water, crap health care, sure, sure he knows that. But just because people had it worse didn’t mean he had to put a fake smile on and pretend that the pile of shit that was his life was golden. At least not to his best friend, who was the one to ask how he was doing! Jackson hates his life and yes okay Danny! There are others that would love to have it – hell most of the school either wanted to be him or fuck him. It looks perfect from the outside, Jackson just wished it was half as perfect as it looked. He remembers when he bought into the fake veneer with everyone else.

Believe it or not, it all fell apart because of a kindergarten show and tell. And Erica Reyes. God, he had hated her after that for so long, but then her life fell apart too. Now she’s not worth the hate, he just ignores her. They sat at the same table in kindergarten, him, her, some girl named Heather – he thinks – and Stilinski. Fucking Stilinski. Anyways, show and tell, Reyes decided to bring in her favorite picture. He can’t remember it exactly, but it was of Mrs. Reyes and the baby bump that became Erica. She told them all that is was from when her mom was pregnant, and that that meant she was in the picture too. That led to questions about where babies come from that got shut down fast by the adults. But it sparked Jackson’s curiosity. He remembers coming home from school that day and pulling all the photo albums off the shelf; looking for a picture like the one Erica had. But there weren’t any because Adriana Whittemore had never been pregnant. Jackson wasn’t really theirs, he wasn’t really a Whittemore. His whole world changed that afternoon and all of four people noticed. But even those four didn’t seem to understand. Adriana and David didn’t understand, Nanny Louise didn’t understand, and fucking Stilinski didn’t understand.

When he was eight he asked Adriana and David about his parents. They told him that his mother’s name was Margaret and she died the day he was born in a car crash with her husband Gordon. He asked about their families and why none of them wanted him. David told him that he was better off where he was and he should be more grateful for what he has. When he told Danny and Isaac Lahey – who he’d recently befriended – about it Lahey agreed with David. Jackson hates Lahey. Christmas of sophomore year he found out that he has a trust – millions of dollars – set up by his father’s family for him. Jackson asked about it at dinner with ‘Grandmother’ – Gertrude Whittemore. It turned into a big fight with Jackson storming out of the house. He drove around for a while but ended up of course at Lydia’s. She didn’t comment on the tear track on his cheeks at least not until after the sex. He was buttoning up his jeans when she asked if he wanted to talk. He should have said no, he should have waited to talk to Danny. He didn’t. That turned into a big fight too. They haven’t spoken since – it’s been almost a year.

Now this! This stupid shit! Just more secrets about him that Adriana and David have kept to themselves. He’s the one entitled to _his_ secrets not them. And he asked them who his parents were and why he wasn’t with them. Margaret and Gordon Miller they said. Died in a car crash they said. Fucking lies. David swears they never lied to him. Jackson thinks back, he remembers every fucking word and David is right they never lied to him. But they hinted at falsehoods and omitted truths. They told half and let him think he knew it all. Let him think he was a Miller just like they let him think he was a Whittemore. But he wasn’t that’s why the Millers didn’t want him. Margaret was having an affair, it was easier for her family to say her baby died too than explain why he wasn’t a Miller. That’s why they didn’t want Jackson. And apparently, he wasn’t good enough to be a Hale.

 

By lunch the whole school knows Stiles Stilinski asked out Derek Hale. Even if they don’t know who Stiles is. As proved by the girl that was in front of him in the lunch line who turned around at one point and asked Stiles if he’d heard ‘that Stiles Stilinski asked out Derek Hale’. Stiles didn’t have it in him to do anything but nod at that point. His English class had been mostly okay if he ignored the fact that Cora Hale spent the whole hour and half glaring daggers at him. Though in all fairness to Cora Stiles is pretty sure that the ‘I want to murder you’ face is Hale for you confuse the living shit out of me. Or maybe she was trying to scare him off Derek, it’s not like Derek’s had great luck in relationships. Like Cora, Lydia said nothing to him in class just arched one perfect eyebrow at him before she took her seat. But after class, after class she cornered him. Wanted to know if it was true, what Derek had said, where were they going, when were they going, if Stiles needed help with anything.

“Maybe, he said ‘What’, café on Pullman, Wednesday at four thirty, everything,” Stiles had answered.

“How…” she stopped, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, let go it, then opened her eyes and told him: “Start at the begin, but make it fast I will not be late for History.”

They weren’t late, but they were last in. All eyes on the idiot spaz who thought he could ask out Derek freaking Hale. Lydia had said not to worry about it, that when nothing came of it, it would be old news in no time. Lydia was used to so many people looking at her, Stiles isn’t, and he really doesn’t like the suddenness of it. It got worse though. Part of this whole thing that he hadn’t even thought about until it’s being stage whispered into his ear. In History he sits in front of Danny and that’s cool normally, not today. It was not cool today.

“So, you’re Bi?” Danny asked.

The whole class was looking at him again. And yes, he is, and he’s out to his family, and Scott, and Lydia. And now the whole school. When he had turned to nod at Danny Stiles noticed Jackson. Jackson freaking Whittemore looking at Stiles like he was rotten trash that’s stench just made him throw up in his mouth a little. Wow he hadn’t seen that look in a while.

Stiles is putting books away in the library after lunch when he’s cornered for the second time today. This time by Danny, who is just as pushy but far less excited then Lydia had been. More nervous though.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he says. "Lydia told me that you didn't actually ask Derek out, and that you weren't ready to be out to the whole world."

"It's fine," Stiles reassures the taller boy.

"No because I..." Danny starts but Stiles cuts across.

"Danny you didn't out me, if anyone did that it was the noisy girl in the hallway this morning that started this whole shit storm. And honestly the important people knew already."

"But still...

"I'd rather the gossip be 'did you hear Stiles Stilinski is bi' than ' did you hear Stiles Stilinski asked out Derek Hale' at least that one’s true."

"Yeah, I mean have you ever even talked to Derek before?"

"His locker is next to mine. I saw him try to talk to Jackson this morning, but Jackson blew him off and Derek was pissed. I tried to empathize with him and ended up word vomiting something that sounded like a proposition for a date," Stiles tells Danny all in one breathe.

"Wow," is all Danny can say.

Stiles' mile a minute mind thinks of something then. Derek's fight with Jackson this morning. Sure, they had been friendly for a while, but that fight seemed more personal. Then the fact that no one really knew what the fight was about. Stiles knew the signs, Jackson had been in a fight with his parents. But what about? Then there was that look Jackson gave him in history. Stiles hadn't seen that look since right after Jackson and Lydia broke up and she started hanging out with Stiles. He used to always get it when he tried to talk to Lydia when she and Jackson were still together. Stiles is fairly certain that it’s Jackson for ‘stay away’ and if he was giving it out for Derek then did that mean that...

"Were Jackson and Derek secretly dating?" Stiles blurts out. "Oh my god, the whole school is going to think my type is ‘people who have dated Jackson Whittemore’!" He adds before Danny can answer. But Danny’s not answering; he's laughing. "What's so funny?"

"No, oh my god, no," he gets out between laughs. "Oh god, Jackson's going to have a total bitch fit when he hears that you thought that."

"Why?"

"Can't tell," is all Danny says before changing the subject. "Does Derek know that you didn't mean to ask him out?"

"Of course... I think... Maybe..." Stiles is panicking a little now, because what if Derek doesn't know, what if he thinks that's what Stiles was trying to do?

Oh shit.

 

Somehow Jackson had made it all the way through English and to History before he heard about it. He’s not sure how, because ever since Danny turned to him right after they got to History class and asked - “So did you hear Stilinski asked out Hale?” - it’s all he’s heard all fucking day.

“Cora?” Jackson had asked, eyeing the girl – his cousin. She had good bone structure he guessed, and he couldn’t fault her for her freckles, now could he? He wondered if people knew if they would think they looked alike. She was pretty, but she put zero effort into her appearance. All she cared about was her grades and kickboxing. But Stilinski did seem to like smart and terrifying.

“No, Derek,” Danny corrected.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he demanded but all he got was a head shake in answer before Stilinski and Lydia were walking in.

There’s this little voice in the back of his head asking on repeat: “Why is Derek worse than Cora?” Why is Derek worse than Cora? Because he _fucking_ is! Since when is fucking Stilinski even into guys?! And that little fucking voice in the back of his head is back at it again but he’s not fucking listening anymore. He needs to breathe, he needs to calm the hell down. But then Danny’s asking Stilinski if he’s bi, and Stilinski is nodding yes. It’s a good thing the whole class is looking at Stilinski because Jackson is losing it right now. Well the whole class but for Danny; He’s looking at Jackson like it’s fucking Christmas. Fucking Asshole! Why is he doing this?

Then he remembers. He remembers being stretched out on his bed, two fingers deep, biting his bottom lip so hard to keep from moaning out loud that he can taste a bit of blood. Remembers the door opening – because apparently Jackson forgot to lock the fucking door. Remembers Danny standing there one second and gone the next as the door slams shut. Remembers getting trashed off Adriana’s rum stash that night. Remembers being just gone enough still that when Danny asks later if he was thinking about anyone in particular he answers truthfully.

 

Stiles had avoided his locker all day. He would gladly continue to do so, even if he has mostly come to terms with the fact that he will have to talk to Derek again at some point. It didn’t have to be today right? But, he did need the half-done Algebra assignment that was safely tucked away in his locker and due first thing in the morning. He was trying to decide if it would be too cowardly to wait around the corner until Derek was done when Derek freaking Hale stops right in front of him. Derek all but growls “We need to talk” before grabbing Stiles by the elbow and pulling him to – wait for it… - a corner. Ah yes, for the third time today he is being shoved into a corner with all exits blocked. He’d say it was the theme of the day if it weren’t for the giggling freshmen making cat calls at them.

“Hello again,” he practically squeaks, wow manly Stiles.

“Did you ask me out?” Derek inquires.

“Wow, not one for pleasantries huh?” Stiles counters.

“Really, you think you have the high ground on that one?” he throws right back. And yeah, oaky, Stiles can see his point.

“No, I wasn’t asking you out, I was trying to be nice, friendly. Because Jackson is being his dick-y self. But my mouth and my brain work on different wave lengths sometimes – most of the time. And then I was talking before I really even decided to and then my brain was screaming ‘stop’ but my mouth kept going. And…”

“Like right now?” Derek cuts cross his rumble.

“Yes,” Stiles answers meekly, trying to shrink in on himself. “Sorry.”

“It’s…” he starts but is cut off by an outside voice.

“Must our eyes be as accosted as our ears have been all day,” Jackson sneers as he walks past – with that fucking look! “Get a fucking room.”

Stiles can see Danny roll his eyes and whisper something in Jackson’s ear. Stiles hopes Danny is filling Jackson in on the truth, but from Jackson’s reaction – which is ‘the look’ times like a hundred – he’s guessing not. Stiles wants to scream. He wants to demand to know what the _fuck_ that look means! He wants to know why Danny’s egging it on, and how. What exactly did Danny say? What exactly does Danny say every time that makes him so keep-able while the rest of the world is so disposable to the great Jackson Whittemore?

__

__

“Fuck all of you,” Stiles pushes past Derek. He’s going to get his stupid fucking Algebra homework, go home and barricade himself in his room for as long as possible. Maybe he’ll be able to talk his dad into letting him stay home tomorrow. Unlikely but he can dream.

 

He is going to vomit. He is legitimately going to fucking vomit. Because all he was trying to do was get the fuck out of this god forsaken school but there they were. Stilinski tucked in a corner with Derek fucking Hale. So yeah, he said something. Told them to get a fucking room. It pissed Derek off if the look on his face is anything to going by. But now Danny’s whispering in his ear: “What if they did though?” And he’s going to vomit.

“Fuck all of you,” Stilinski pushes past Derek and storms off to his locker.

Jackson’s eyes follow, a smile is pulling at is lips because clearly Derek’s already fucked up somehow. But when he turns back to Derek, the older boy is watching Jackson far too closely. Derek’s eyes flit to Stilinski and back to Jackson. The moment seems to stretch out far longer than Jackson knows it is. Derek’s right eyebrow rises, he smirks, and nods to Jackson. Then Derek is following Stilinski. Leaning against his own locker next to Stilinski’s.

“The café on Pullman, Wednesday at four thirty, it’s a date,” Derek says to Stilinski with this look in his eyes that makes Jackson want to punch him – repeatedly.

Stilinski nods and fucking blushes. Derek smiles at Jackson before he turns and walks out. Jackson can see Stilinski mouth something that looks like ‘oh shit’ to a nearby stunned McCall. Fuck vomiting, Jackson is going to… going to… well he doesn’t know what the fuck he’s going to do yet but something damnit!


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you sure this is a date?" Lydia asks from her perch on Stiles' bed. Back against the headboard, legs stretched out in front of her, ankles crossed, eyes sharp on the shirt he's holding up.  


“Yes! He literally said the words ‘it’s a date’,” Stiles retorts, as Lydia shakes her head. He sighs, throws the shirt behind him not paying any mind to where it lands. Completely ignoring Lydia’s wrinkled nose – a sure sign it landed on the floor – and pulls out the next one.  


“Atrocious,” she states nodding to the trash can by his desk. He rolls his eyes, throws this one over his shoulder too, and goes for the next as she continues, “I’m just a little confuse – no that one’s even worse – it doesn’t seem like something he would do.”  


“ _It_ doesn’t seem like something he’d do or _I_ don’t seem like something he’d do?” Stiles questions a bit hurt, but also consigned to the truth of it.  


Lydia sighs as she slides off the bed. Giving a quick look to both shirts he is now holding in his hands before taking them from him and tossing them on the bed. “Stiles,” she starts with an exasperated tone, “you’re smart, you’re funny and loyal, and yes, attractive too. No don’t give me that look. Fine, how about this: You are sarcastic and over talkative, you get too obsessive, have no filter, and can be a complete jackass?” she waits with one arched eyebrow, daring him to disagree. He can’t disagree with the facts though, and those are the facts that make up Stiles Stilinski. So, he raises his eyebrows and does this funny jerking move with his head while looking away from her. It’s Stiles for ‘yeah, okay, whatever’. “You have to take the good _and_ the bad, not just one or the other.”  


“The sarcasm is my good!”  


“Somewhat,” she concedes after a moment of glaring at him. “Back to the point. Old Derek – pre-Kate Derek – might have laughed all this drama off, might have even said ‘why not, it’s a date’. But post-Kate Derek has been much more closed off. All this attention in just one day? It doesn’t strike me as something that he would humor even if he was interested – which he might be. But you’ve had the locker next to his for two and a half years at this point and he’s never so much as said ‘hi’ and suddenly he’s willing to brave the masses for a date.”  


“Can’t you just say ‘yay Stiles’ and help me find something that isn’t ‘atrocious’ to wear?” Stiles inquires.  


“If you wanted soft and doughy you would have called Scott, but you didn't you called me which means you want a critical eye, and not just for the clothes,” she tells him before adding: “You're not stupid Stiles. In fact, as I mentioned earlier you're quite smart, which means you know something is off.”  


“Yes, fine maybe it's strange but it’s still my first date… ever,” Stiles argues. “Can’t you be supportive of that even if he is just doing it to make Jackson jealous?”  


“Fine,” she sighs going to his closet before stopping. “Wait, what?” she asks turning back to Stiles.  


“Well I’m not 100% but…” he trails off chewing on the side of his thumb.  


“Stiles?” Lydia presses.  


“I think Derek and Jackson were more than just friends,” he rushes out.  


“Explain,” she demands as she sits primly on the foot of his bed, eyes narrowed.  


“Well we know Jackson got in a fight with his parents, right?” Lydia gives him a curt nod. “Do you know about what?”  


“No,” she says slowly as Stiles sits next to her. “Danny would, but he’d never tell us.”  


Stiles bristles at the mention of Danny for a moment before remembering their chat in the library. Would Danny lie to protect one of Jackson’s secrets? Yeah, no doubt, but was he. Stiles only really knows Danny in passing. They have most of the same classes, they’re both on the lacrosse team – even if Stiles barely gets off the bench – and he’s friends with Jackson. None of that gives Stiles the insight he would need to read the other boy well enough to tell lie from truth. Lydia knows him better, after all they’re friends – when Jackson’s not around.  


“I asked Danny, if Jackson and Derek had a thing. He laughed. Full body laughter,” Stiles tells Lydia. “Plus, I know the Whittemores are a bit… high strung?” Lydia answers with a head tilt and a lift of the eyebrows. “But they never gave off the homophobic vibe. I mean Danny.”  


“Some people are weird though. Fine with other people being gay but lose it when it’s their own kids,” Lydia puts in.  


“True,” he nods.  


“Did Danny say anything or just laugh?” she asks.  


“He said no, and that Jackson would have a bitch fit because I thought that. Or maybe Jackson’s bitch fit was about me saying people would start thinking my type was ‘people that date Jackson’,” Stiles answers trying to remember exactly. “Oh! And then he changed the subject away from Jackson.”  


“Hmm, well, that could mean that you’re really far off,” she considers, “or that you’re dead on.”  


“Right!” Stiles exclaims throwing his hands up before falling back on his bed.  


“What made you think they could’ve been a thing?” she asks turning to face Stiles as he continues to lay back.  


“It was… I don’t know. Something about the _way_ he was shutting Derek out. I mean it’s been a week, or almost, since whatever it was went down. My guess is that Derek thought Jackson just needed time to cool off, not realizing he’s been cut. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but Derek seemed so determined. And so… sad? No, hurt. So hurt when Jackson just kept up his whole ‘you are no longer a part of my life’ thing. But it was getting to Jackson too, you know? Like whatever upset him he hasn’t dealt with, well he never _deals_ with what really upsets him, but you know, like he doesn’t have it locked down yet. Which he should because he’s back at school and he never comes back until…” Stiles stops without ending that thought when he realizes he’s been talking for a bit and Lydia hasn’t stopped him.  


She’s folded one of her legs up on the bed in front of her with her elbow resting on her knee. Chin cradled in hand just watching him with this look of deep thought. He’s about to ask her what she’s thinking when her phone chimes from her lap. She makes this humming sound as she looks at whatever it is and then starts typing. Stiles stares up at his ceiling trying to figure out what she could have been thinking as she keeps messing with her phone. He thinks back to all that he said and the stuff he hadn’t got to yet. The look on Jackson’s face when Derek finally walked away. Derek fumbling with his combination he was so angry. And the look. That look! It looked like disgust, but Stiles has seen Jackson’s look of disgust before, plenty of times over the years. It’s one of the few things about Jackson that hasn’t changed since they were five. Since before. 

 

Jackson wishes they had lacrosse practice on Mondays. He needs a way to burn off all this rage, but then again maybe it's a good thing they don't. Stilinski is on the team too after all. He'd be right there on the bench; probably thinking about Derek fucking Hale and their fucking date. Or Coach would actually let him on the field and then Jackson would end up doing something stupid. Jackson hates fucking Stilinski, he…  


“No, you don't,” Danny cuts into his rant without even looking up from his math homework.  


“Yes, I do…” Jackson starts to insist as he pulls his own Algebra book back into his lap.  


“No, you don't,” Danny repeats before his eyebrows crease in confusion over which ever problem he’s working on.  


“Is that all…” Jackson tries again.  


“ _No_ , you don’t.”  


“Fine!” Jackson begrudgingly agrees, Danny nods. “But I do fucking hate Derek.”  


“It's kind of your own fault though, isn't it?” Danny asks finally looking up at Jackson.  


“How the fuck is any of this my fault?” Jackson demands throwing his textbook back to the other side of his bed.  


“Stiles asked Derek out this morning after you cold-shouldered Derek, Derek agreed to it this afternoon after you upset Stiles.”  


“Stilinski asked Derek out because he felt sorry for him,” Jackson laughs.  


“Jackson you do remember you're not the only one with problems, right?” Danny reprimands.  


“Oh my fucking god, yes, Danny I remember. Boo fucking who,” Jackson flops back on his bed, landing partially on his Algebra binder. He remembers Danny’s own family problems as he pulls the offending object out from under him. “Wait this isn't about your grandfather is it?”  


“No, Jackson, this is about Derek and Lydia and Isaac and Malcolm and Stiles,” Danny lists Jackson’s ex-friends off.  


“Who the fuck is Malcolm?” Jackson asks sitting back up.  


“Fifth grade?” Danny asks with raised eyebrows.  


“No,” Jackson answers slowly, shaking his head.  


“He pointed out that your eyes are green not blue? We were friends for like two weeks!” Danny tries to remind him.  


“I thought his name was Matt or Mark…” Jackson finally remembers, kind of.  


“Jesus! No, it was Malcolm,” Danny snaps.  


“What kind of fucking name is Malcolm?” he wonders.  


“Oh my God, not the point Jackson!”  


“Then what's the fucking point?” he demands.  


“You were being an asshole to Derek, and Stiles knows what that’s like. So, he reached out and now they're bonding over it. That's your fault,” he insists as he pulls out his cell.  


“What are you do?” Jackson inquires as Danny starts typing away on the phone.  


“Texting Lydia. Don’t make that face, it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with my Algebra grade.”  


“Whatever,” he mumbles as he tries to focus on his own homework again.  


But his mind keeps going back to the scene in the fucking hallway after school. Derek didn’t agree to go on the date with Stilinski because Jackson fucking upset Stilinski. No, Derek clearly saw the way Jackson was looking at Stilinski and agreed to the date because he’s a vindictive asshole. And sure, even with all the drama from last year and how much it had changed Derek he could still have anything he wanted – anyone he wanted. Maybe even more so _because_ of all the fucking drama from last year. But Stilinski was never among Derek’s blushing fan club before. Derek certainly had him blushing today though. Fuck. Jackson can’t remember seeing Stilinski blush like that for anyone else, not since they were five. 

 

The BHHS baseball team have their first game of the season Friday night, so Derek had an extra practice Tuesday morning. Which meant Stiles didn’t have to worry about running in to the senior at their neighboring lockers that morning. In fact, he managed to avoid a locker run in with Derek until Wednesday afternoon. Lydia had given him her ‘I’m deeply judging you’ look when he’d told her his plan to do so but said nothing. But even without seeing Derek at their lockers Stiles still ended up seeing more of Derek Hale in two school days than he had ever before. A passing ‘Hello’ as Stiles was leaving the math wing and Derek was entering it. A nod and smirk from a crossed the lunchroom. Stiles had been halfway through a sentence about their Biology lab to Lydia and Scott, a sentence he never finished.  


“You know in all this, I don’t think I asked if you actually liked Derek or not,” Lydia had stated as they took their seats in Health class afterward.  


“Well, I mean, he is really hot,” Stiles told her, because duh.  


“Wow,” he heard Cora deadpan as she walked past him to her own seat.  


“ _And_ smart, right?” Stiles had added turning to Lydia, who nodded as she pulled her Health book out of her bag.  


“Well, not too smart. I mean Ka-” Jackson had started.  


“Not even you can be that much of a dick, right Jackson?” Stiles cut across him.  


Because even if Stiles had thought something similar he would never say it out loud. Plus, Stiles knew from experience that sometimes you don’t realize you’re in a complete shit situation until you’ve either gotten yourself knee deep or had a chance to take step back. And it’s not like Kate was letting Derek take a step back. The only answer he got back from Jackson was ‘The Look’. The whole exchange had Stiles thinking about his Jackson/Derek theory for the rest of Health class. If Jackson had cared about Derek at all would he really so blatantly and coldly bring up Kate? Stiles wouldn’t… unless… if someone hurt him and he was still emotional about it Stiles would probably lash out with anything he could.  


Lacrosse practice that afternoon had started normal. But about five minutes into running drills Jackson apparently forgot it was lacrosse and not open warfare. He mercilessly tackled Greenberg, then took down Daehler so hard Stiles still isn’t sure how Jackson walked away. Matt didn’t, he had to be carried to the nurse’s office. That had Coach spitting fire. Jackson shrugged and told him: ‘idiot needs to learn to move faster’.  


“Yeah well, he better be back on his feet before the first game or you’ll be on the bench for the whole season,” Coach had threatened.  


It was an empty threat and they all knew it. He wouldn’t bench Jackson unless the Superintendent themselves gave the order. Even then he’d probably fight it, Jackson is the best on the team. When all the commotion over Matt died down and they started running drills again Jackson went right back to tackling the ever-living shit out of anyone who crossed his path. Coach was pissed. Stiles had never been so happy about being so clumsy that Coach even benched him for practices. He was 100% sure that he was the one Jackson really want to be tackling. After another twenty minutes Coach called practice for the day, ordering Jackson to his office. It gave Stiles plenty of time to get out of the locker-room before the baseball team got in there after their own practice. Which honestly Stiles hadn’t even thought about until him and Scott were leaving.  


“Not going to wait for Hale, Stilinski?” one of the guys had called out. The whole locker-room fell silent, or maybe it was just that the arguing in Coach’s office finally stopped.  


“Uh, no,” Stiles blushed before all but dragging Scott out to the Jeep.

 

Stilinski and Hale this, Stilinski and Hale that, all fucking day. Again! They hadn’t even been on the damn date yet and the whole fucking school already had something to say about Stilinski and Hale. Then there was Derek and Stilinski themselves. In the hallways between classes, at lunch. Don’t even get him started on Stilinski defending Derek in Health. Jackson had wanted to throw something. And even without factoring in how he fell for Kate Argent’s bullshit Derek wasn’t _that_ smart. Well maybe in like one subject. Lacrosse was supposed to have been his reprieve from ‘Stilinski and Hale’. Sure, Stilinski was there – on the bench – but Derek wasn’t. Plus, the team should have been too busy to talk about stupid gossip. But right as he was finishing up his laps he heard some of the other guys running their fucking mouths.  


“How long do you think we have before we have to deal with Stilinski trying to get on his knees for Hale in the locker-room?” Greenburg asked, sounding far more interested than he probably meant to.  


“I’m sure Derek will be able to restrain himself until the rest of us have left the room.”  


“If Derek can shut Stilinski up, even if it is with his dick, I say let him.”  


“I don’t know if I’m willing to let my eyes be assaulted like that just to give my ears a rest,” Pierce put in.  


“Stilinski’s probably just as noisy with a dick in his mouth as he is without,” Daehler laughed.  


He’s not sure what pissed him off more: the things they were saying or the mental image their words gave him. All Jackson knew was that their words and his own mind easily turned one of his oldest fantasies into one of his worst nightmares. And now he owed Coach five extra miles worth of laps which he would have to run at Thursday’s practice. He had to run more than that everyday during cross-country season, so whatever.

 

Stiles isn’t sure if school Wednesday was really as quiet as he thought it was or if he’d just been so spaced out from nerves that nothing else registered. There was the normal stuff: English, History, Library, Scott, Lydia. There was Jackson and ‘The Look’. Then there was Derek. Derek’s little smiles from across hallways, his passing ‘Hellos’, and then at their lockers after school his quiet whisper. Stiles was fairly certain that it was meant to be seductive. It was, he just was sure if that’s what Derek was aiming for or if that was just Derek. Either way it worked for him.  


“We’re still on for four thirty, right?”  


“Of course,” Stiles managed after a moment or two of trying to remember how to talk. And really? Since when was that an issue for him?  


“Good, I’ve really been looking forward to it,” Derek replied.  


“Yeah, me too.” Stiles had still been blushing when he got home.  


He called Lydia to ask for help with what to wear again, but she just told him to pick something that was both appropriate and that he felt comfortable in. She’d probably disapprove but he ended up just wearing the clothes he’s worn to school that day. Once that was decided he grabbed his keys and was out the door again before he realized it wasn’t even four yet. Arriving thirty minutes early turned out to be good though. He was able to settle in to the table he picked and get two cups of coffee in him – which actually calmed him down. He had picked a book from the free library on the back wall and was five chapters in when Derek got there.  


“Mind if I join you?” he asks.  


“Kind of what I’ve been waiting on.” Stiles isn’t sure if that sounded as cool as he thought it would, but it’s out there now.  


“And have you been waiting long?” Derek inquires as he sits opposite Stiles.  


He already has a coffee in hand which meant he’s been here a minute or two in line and waiting on his drink before he approached Stiles. That makes Stiles a little bit nervous again. What if he had done something stupid and Derek saw. But if he had it couldn’t have been too bad, after all Derek hadn’t just left.  


“Not very,” he lies, believably he hopes.  


“This is a pretty cool place,” Derek notes while looking around after a slightly awkward silence.  


“Yeah, it’s got a calm atmosphere. A genuine one, not too overproduced like some cafes. Not to name names. Plus, there are free books. My mom used to say that a place without books wasn’t a place worth being.”  


“She worked at the library, right?” Derek asks when Stiles stops to take a breathe.  


“Yep,” Stiles answers popping the p. Derek seems to be waiting on Stiles to keep talking but Stiles is too worried he’ll start talking about his mom again if he opens his mouth.  


“Not something you want to talk about?” Derek finally catches on. Stiles shakes his head and Derek nods, “I get that. So, what was the name of that club again?” he asks.  


“Huh? Oh, the Jackson Whittemore Ex-Friends Support Club,” Stiles answers after a moment of confusion.  


“Is that a real thing or did you make it up off the top of your head?”  


“Off the top of my head, hence the mouthfulness of it,” Stiles laughs.  


“Is that a real word?”  


“Is now,” Stile says making Derek laugh.  


“Were you really friends? You and Jackson?”  


“Once,” Stiles sighs, “so long ago it's barely mentionable.”  


“Yet you did mention it,” Derek counters.  


“You don't seem to understand what happens when Jackson has to deal with something he doesn't want to. So, I thought I'd help you out.”  


“But you had some sort of freak out,” Derek recalls. Stiles rolls his eyes and nods. “And why'd you freak out?” Derek pushes.  


“Did you know that since you got here you’ve only said like three things to me that weren’t questions?” Stiles retorts.  


“That’s…” Derek starts, trying not to laugh.  


“You're popular and we've never talked before so when you were suddenly looking at me I kind of mind blanked and my mouth took over,” he answers. “It happens.”  


“Lydia’s popular and you guys are friends, lot of the guys on the lacrosse team are popular and you’re on the team too so you have to interact with them,” Derek counters, then after a beat adds: “Jackson’s popular.”  


“I had a thing for Lydia freshman year and some of sophomore year, I was obsessive…” Stiles starts to explain before stopping and making a face. “Those are probably things you shouldn’t talk about on a first date huh?”  


“Yeah, I think most people avoid the topics of past crushes and stalker tendencies until at least the third date,” Derek smiles and it is brain dumbingly beautiful. Well, Derek Hale is brain dumbingly beautiful. But when he smiles full on? Holy shit.  


“I’ll keep that in mind.” God, Stiles can hear the embarrassing level of wonder in his own voice. But Derek just nods and smiles bigger, brighter making Stiles’ heart do this thing that has him thinking he might need to see his dad’s cardiologist. “Anyways, I’ve known Lydia through school for years. My Dad and her mom are actually dating now.”  


“Really?” Derek asks skeptically.  


“Yeah,” Stiles chuckles.  


“That’s got to be weird.”  


“It was at first and neither of us took it very well. But then it was…” Stiles falters trying to think of a way to explain it. “My Dad and I both had a hard time with my Mom’s death – I mean who wouldn’t you know? But I guess I didn’t realize how lonely he was still until Natalie came into the picture and he wasn’t so lonely anymore. Lydia had a different but similar epiphany.”  


“Was this before or after Lydia and Jackson’s sudden Christmas break up last year?” Derek inquires.  


“After,” he answers, he can see Derek starting to say something else – probably another question. “No, my turn,” Stiles says quickly, Derek closes his mouth and gestures for Stiles to go on. Stiles lends forward resting his chin on his hands. “Why are we on this date?” Derek’s smile drops, his eyes focusing somewhere over Stiles’ right shoulder, Hale eyebrows of doom in full effect. Huh, maybe the ‘I will murder you’ look is just the way Hales look when they’re thinking.  


“Honestly?” Derek finally looks back to Stiles.  


“Preferably.”  


“To piss Jackson off,” he admits. Now Stiles is the one who can’t make eye contact. He can feel his face heat up and he nods his head, but he can’t look at Derek. He told Lydia that he didn’t care if Derek was only interested in making Jackson jealous. But hearing it from Derek. It hurts. It hurts for reason that he understands and ones that he doesn’t.  


“How long were you together? if you don't mind me asking. I mean it only seems fair since I’m being used to make him jealous,” Stiles’ mouth starts rattling off before his mind can get on broad. No, he doesn’t want to know!  


“What?” Derek tries to ask but Stiles keeps going.  


“I mean don't get me wrong, I'm not upset.” Yes, you are you moron! “I’ll help, whatever. I just, I guess it would help to know what, like how long you guys were together, why exactly you're not anymore.” Holy fuck, are you a masochist? “Do his parents know, I mean all the signs point to a huge fight with his parents. Did it end because they reacted badly?” Oh god just shut up!  


“What? No Stiles, wait stop, turn off your mouth and your mind for just a second okay,” Derek cuts in. “I'm not sure where you got that from, but Jackson and I weren't ever together. It's not like that. It's very far from that,” he insists.  


“But you said…”  


“I…” Derek hesitates, trying to find the right thing to say.  


“Look I get it, if there is stuff you don't want to say, but don't lie to me please.”  


“I'm not lying. Jackson and I were never together. We are never going to be together. Neither of us have any interest in being together. It’s not like that,” Derek reassures him. 

“And yeah there was a fight with his parents but,” he pauses thinking for a moment, “it wasn’t about me, but I do kind of factor in.”  


“Something about us going on a date pisses him off though? Why? What?” Stiles is so confused now his head feels like it’s spinning.  


“I don’t know why for sure. I have an idea or two, but I…” he’s hesitating again, “I’m about eighty-five percent sure I know why but I don’t want to say because of the other fifteen, just in case.”  


“Okay, but…” Stiles doesn’t know what to say. His head hasn’t felt like this since he went with the McCalls to Six Flags two years ago and him and Scott insisted on riding all the rides. He’d had a headache for two days afterward. Lending back in his chair, scrubbing his hands over his face. He can feel the headache coming on. “Okay, so…”  


“Why aren’t you and Jackson friends anymore? What happened?” Derek asks sending Stiles’ head for another loop.  


“He found out he was adopted, and he didn’t handle it well. It sounds stupid to say he was different then, because like no shit! We were five and it’s been over a decade, we’ve all changed. But he was happy one day and then so angry the next. He was always a temperamental little shit, and bossy. The first time he ever spoke to me it was to tell me that my name was ‘ridiculous, and Stile is a stupid name too’,” Stiles huffs a laugh at the memory. “I didn’t understand why he was so upset, I didn’t understand why he stopped calling them his parents, why he felt so betrayed by them. So, he decided he didn’t need me.”  


“How many others?” he asks lending back in his chair, crossing his arm over his chest, look determined.  


“There was Malcolm Webber, but he moved away about a month after Jackson shut him out. Then there was Isaac Lahey, he’s on the lacrosse team too. He’s pretty good but him and Jackson hating each other makes it hard for Coach to have them on the field at the same time. Since Jackson is the better player Coach benches Isaac. Then Lydia and now you.”  


“It pisses you off doesn’t?”  


“Dude, you’ve been dealing with it for less than two weeks I’ve had eleven _years_.”  


“Don’t you want to make him pay for just throwing you aside?” Derek lends in, bringing his elbows to the table.  


“I…” Stiles falters for a second, Jackson can be a dick and he’s done some shit things, but… “I don’t want to hurt him.”  


“What if it helps him?” Derek offers after a moment of thought.  


“How exactly is you getting revenge going to help Jackson? You’re just trying to get me to help you with the plan you’re working up.” Stiles doesn’t know what bullshit Derek is thinking up, but he’s not going to be a pawn in it.  


“Stiles all I want is for us to keep going on dates, to hold hands, walk each other to classes, sit together at lunch,” he tells Stiles, his tone and features softer.  


“Let me get this straight. Something about us together pisses Jackson off, so you want to fake a relationship because his terrible coping mechanisms hurt your feels. Is that right? Is that really what you’re suggesting here?” Stiles questions, moving this way and that way in his chair, hands all over the place. This cant be real. And if it is what the fuck has his life become?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter but this chapter a week shit is hard! Especially when I spent most of the week not wanting to get out of bed. Hope it's okay, maybe I'll feel more enthused about life next week.

All Jackson had wanted this week – so far, since it was only Wednesday – was for the whole fucking school to shut the fuck up. That afternoon though it was his own head that wouldn't quit torturing him. Stilinski and Hale had invaded his dreams the night before to the point that Jackson had asked Adriana about changing schools – somewhat jokingly. Not understanding he had new problems to deal with - arguably bigger problems – she'd tried to talk to him about Peter. Then Stilinski and Hale had been back to flirting in the fucking halls. Everyone fawning over the _idea_ of them as a couple - since you know they still hadn't actually been on the fucking date yet. Well at that time they hadn't. They were now. He knows because he’d been weak enough to drive past the café on Pullman after swim practice… twice. Not that he was going to admit that to anyone, even Danny. Jackson had gone home after the second time, tried to do homework, tried to play Call of Duty, tried to think of anything but Derek with Stilinski. But that was all he could fucking think about.  


He decided to go to Danny’s finally. But Danny apparently has other company – Lydia. The two are sitting on Danny’s bed working on something. Textbooks and papers all around them.  


“What the fuck is this?” Jackson asks.  


“Oh, calm your shit, Jackson,” Lydia retorts.  


“You knew Lydia and I were still friends,” Danny puts in.  


“Yeah, sure, when I have other stuff,” Jackson pouts, Lydia huffs a laugh.  


“You had swim and I figured you could use some alone time after,” Danny tells him.  


“Hey Danny, did you tell him that Stiles thinks…” Lydia starts.  


“No,” Danny laughs as Jackson demands: “What?”  


“Stiles thinks you and Derek secretly dated,” Danny answers, Jackson can feel his face scrunch up in disgust.  


“He thinks that’s why Derek agreed to the date,” Lydia adds with a smirk.  


“Oh, also that his type is people that you date,” Danny continues with an evil smile all his own.  


People think Danny is _so_ nice. Just the nicest. Bullshit! He’s evil. It’s the dimples, they fool everyone. And apparently, he’s been running his mouth to Lydia about things he shouldn’t. Or maybe Lydia noticed things that she shouldn’t have – like fucking Derek. He wants to laugh, he also wants to scream. But he can't do either because Lydia is watching him like the harpy he knows she is. If he lost it over how much Stilinski's stupid ideas were bullshit there's no telling what exactly would end up coming out of his mouth. Maybe the only things that would spew out would be about how much he hates the Hales, especially Derek. Derek who’s on a date with Stilinski right now. Stilinski who thinks he dated his own cousin. Stilinski who doesn’t know Derek is his cousin. Lydia doesn’t know either. He’s just about to say something. He’s not sure what since his mind is all over the place right now. But it doesn’t matter because Lydia’s cell starts buzzing from the bedside table. Jackson can see Stilinski’s name and face on the caller i.d..  


“What is it?” She answers, Jackson can’t make out Stilinski’s words, but he sounds extra spazzy. “I think I do, I did. Why don’t you?” she asks. “Why do you need to call him? I’m not a fan of games, but it’s a bit soon to be calling him.” She makes a face and then starts cleaning up her things. “I’m on my way,” she tells him then repeats it again after he seems to try arguing with her. “Yes, Stiles, I am on my way.” “Yeah okay,” she adds before ending the call.  


“What did Hale do?” Jackson demands while Danny asks: “Is he okay?”  


“He wants to call Derek but forgot to get his number,” Lydia tells them in a clipped tone.  


“Why is he trying to call Derek right after their date?” Danny asks looking at his cell. “It’s barley six, why aren’t they still on their date?”  


“He… I don’t know. I have to go. Keep the Algebra notes for now,” she says in way of a bye.

 

“Not exactly the way I’d put it but yes,” Derek had answered without even a moment’s thought.  


Stiles is not ashamed to admit that he ran after that. Okay he didn’t actually _run_ but he did babble out an obviously bullshit excuse to leave before getting up and walking rather quickly to the door. And okay, he might be slightly ashamed. But it’s not his fault. Hell, what sane person wouldn’t react that way? Plus, there was the rest of the info overload that his first date ever turned into… wait… does it still count as a date? Would Derek count as his first relationship? _If_ he did this. _If_ he did this would Derek count as his first relationship?  


God, he needs someone else to ask. But who? Scott? Maybe, Scotty is his better half. But Scott has been busy trying to woo Allison and keep up his grades and work at Deaton’s. Honestly what would Scott even know about fake relationships and what counted for what. He’d be just as clueless as Stiles, the blind leading the blind. Stiles is fairly certain Lydia has never had a fake relationship, but she is the Queen of High School PR and possibly all knowledge everywhere. Oh, and then if he did go along with it who ever he told would have to play along too. Would Derek want him telling anyone? He _has_ to talk to someone. He’ll call Derek… he doesn’t have Derek’s number… he’ll call Lydia and get it.  


“What is it?” She answers on the third ring.  


“I need Derek's number do you have it?” Stiles rushes out.  


“I think I do, I did. Why don’t you?” she asks.  


“I just forgot to get it and I need to call him,” he tries for casual and is fairly certain he misses by a mile.  


“Why do you need to call him?” she questions before continuing without giving him a chance to answer – just as well, what the fuck would he tell her. “I’m not a fan of games, but it’s a bit soon to be calling him.”  


“The date might have ended abruptly after some stuff and I need to call him. I need someone to talk to.” Apparently, that’s what he’d say.  


“I’m on my way.”  


“No! But I think…” he tries.  


“Yes, Stiles, I am on my way.”  


“Fine could you swing by Scott’s and bring him too? I'll call him and let him know you're on your way.” If he’s lost the battle he may as well just tell them both.  


“Yeah okay,” she answers before ending the call.  


She makes record time especially when you figure in the fact that she picked up Scott too. Or maybe it's just that time passes quickly when you're pacing back and forth in your room trying to figure out what the hell is going on with your life but can’t seem to find the answer. Right as Lydia is pulling up in the driveway Stiles gets a notification on his Facebook account. A message from Derek. And why hadn’t he thought of social media, what was he raised in the stone age?  


Derek Hale: Okay so you freaked again  


Before he can type out that it seems justifiable this time Derek has already sent two more messages.  


Derek Hale: if you don't want to do it that's fine  


Derek Hale: Will you give me your number so I can call you?  


Well if only Stiles had any patience.  


Stile Stilinski: If I agree to this can I tell my friends? just Scott and Lydia  


Derek Hale: Why? did you already?  


Stiles Stilinski: No but they just got to my house because Lydia knows I freaked she doesn't know over what though…  


Derek Hale: She’s in the club too  


True. Stiles rolls his eyes before sending Derek his cell number. Right as Lydia is walking into his room his cell chimes with a text from an unknown number: _Call me after you talk to them, Derek._  


_Will do._ He sends back before sliding his phone in his back pocket.  


“What happen?” Lydia asks immediately.  


His mind is racing as he tries to answer her. Lydia _is_ in the club too, but Scott isn't. If he doesn't tell them though how long will it be before they just finger it out? They both know him, way too well. But maybe any weirdness could be passed off as first relationship weirdness. But maybe telling them would be best. One, no secrets from his friends. Two, emotional and moral support – unless they deeply disapprove and then withhold their support all together. And let's face it Lydia will probably disapprove. And then...  


“Stiles! What happened,” Lydia demands snapping him out of his own head.  


“He admitted that he only agreed to the date because it seemed to piss off Jackson and said that he wants to keep doing it because he wants to get back at Jackson for just ending their friendship and he asked me about all the other people that Jackson has just stop being friends with and I told him and he says that us dating would be the perfect way to make Jackson pay for it all,” Stiles tells his friends all in one go plopping down on the edge of his bed as he takes a much needed breathe.  


“I'm sorry, what?” Lydia questions, eyes gone wide.  


“That's crazy,” Scott puts in.  


“Yeah, I freaked when he asked, I mean I pretty much fled. That’s why I wanted his number, so I could call him and talk it over more.”  


“Do it,” Lydia tells him suddenly.  


“What but Jackson?” Stiles brilliantly counters.  


“Yeah Jackson, Mr. overgrown toddler, he needs to learn.”  


“You're starting to sound like Derek now, maybe the two of you should date to piss Jackson off.” At least that would make sense.  


“It wouldn't work.”  


“How not?” Stiles asks.  


“It just wouldn't,” she insists. Stiles looks to Scott for back up but only gets a half shrug.  


“What if he gets hurt?” Stiles tries changing tactics.  


“Dude it's Whittemore,” Scott says making a disgusted face. Lydia pulls his desk chair over to him, taking a deep breath as she sits directly in front of him.  


“Stiles, when someone breaks a bone, but it's not set properly and heals back wrong it has to be rebroken in order to be fixed, yes?”  


“So, what? You're saying when we were five Jackson healed wrong and therefore needs to be rebroken in order to heal properly?” She can’t be serious.  


“Yes.”  


No. He wants to scream. What if they just make it worse? What if Derek and Lydia are just blinded by the chance of revenge? Jackson is fragile. Despite all the alpha male, jock stereotype bullshit he parades around, Jackson is fragile.  


But…

 

Jackson slept wonderfully Wednesday night. He felt refreshed and ready for school the next morning. The knowledge that something had gone wrong on Derek and Stilinski date did amazing things to soothe him. He even wished David and Adriana a good day before leaving the house. But all good things come to an end and Jackson's good mood died the second he walked into the hallway where his locker is. Where Stilinski and Hale's lockers are. Because there at their lockers are Stilinski and Hale and Lydia and McCall. And what the _fuck_.  


Okay so maybe he didn't have confirmation that things went bad. But Stilinski called Lydia all freaked out about calling Hale and… and clearly that meant things had gone wrong somewhere. How the fuck were they so cozy? Why the fuck were they so cozy? Derek is standing too close to Stilinski. Big brown eyes looking at Jackson for just a moment before _Derek fucking Hale_ leans in to whisper to Stilinski. Stilinski looks up to Derek and whispers something back that has Derek laughing and smiling. Jackson is drawn out of his living nightmare by a small group of freshmen girls owing and awing and fucking swooning to his left.  


“Rein in the disgust while looking at Beacon Hills’ newest couple before people start thinking you’ve gone homophobic,” Danny greets, when all he gets from Jackson is a raised eyebrow he adds: “I know better but most of the school doesn’t.”  


“How can I be homophobic with a gay best friend?” Jackson demands as he opens his locker.  


“Fine, biphobic,” Danny retorts leaning against the locker next to Jackson’s.  


“I'm bi,” Jackson reminds.  


“Yes, like I said I know better but most of the school doesn't.”  


“Then I'll tell them.”  


“That would just look like a ploy to be cooler then Derek and Stiles,” Danny smirks.  


“I am. Cooler than them not trying to be cooler than them.” Danny hums at Jackson like he’s humoring a small child. “And I thought Derek fucked something up,” Jackson changes the subject.  


“Me too but apparently Lydia was able to smooth it all out,” he shrugs as Jackson slides his Biology book in his locker.  


“I hate her.”  


“No, you don't.”  


“We're not doing that again,” Jackson gives Danny a pointed look before closing his locker and turning toward their Algebra class, only to see Derek and Stilinski turn down the math wing too. “What are they doing?”  


“It looks like Derek is walking Stiles to class.”  


“Who the fuck even does that?”  


“Boyfriends everywhere?”  


“They're not boyfriends” Jackson insists.  


“Mm, Jackson I think they are.”  


No, they’re not. Because Stilinski only asked Derek out because of pity, and Derek only accepted to be vindictive. They don’t even like each other. And their only date was some kind of disaster that Lydia had to clean up. That should calm him, clearly, it’s all bullshit. But then there’s that little asshole of a voice whispering in the back of his head. Whispering about Derek making Stilinski blush. About Stilinski making Derek laugh and smile like he hasn’t since before Kate Argent. Whispering about how most first dates are shit. Whispering that yeah it did start as pity and vindictiveness but that doesn’t mean that’s all it will ever be. It could grow to be more.  


Derek already got to be a Hale, while Jackson just got thrown away. He couldn’t have this too.  


“I forgot something in my locker,” Jackson says to Danny.  


“Do you want me to come with?”  


“No, go on,” Jackson tells him before turning back.  
Derek will have to come back this way to head to his own class Jackson tells himself as he waits in the main hall. He waits long enough that he begins to doubt it though. There are other paths Derek could take, they’d be longer and may make him late to his English class. If he didn’t come the fuck on they were both going to be late. But finally, Derek exited the Math wing.  


“You’ve had your fun now back off Stilinski,” Jackson says cutting into Derek path.  


“No, I like him,” Derek replies without missing a beat.  


“No, you don't you're just being vindictive,” Jackson insists.  


“At first yeah, but we went on a date and it was interest he's funny, smart, attractive in an awkward way and you don't deserve him.”  


“Who said I wanted him.” Yeah Derek knew but that didn’t mean that Jackson had to admit shit.  


“Oh, you clearly want him,” Derek smirks.  


“No, I don't.”  


“But you don't want anyone else to have him either, mm? What you don’t think he would be good enough for your image? He’s doing wonders for mine.”  


“Leave him alone.”  


“No, I like him, he likes me. We already have our next date planned. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to get to class.” Derek is all smugness and Jackson wants to punch him so fucking badly. He punches the nearest locker instead.  


He’s in class just before the bell rings, with more than a few of his classmates noticing his swelling hand. Cora’s eyes roll, Lydia’s narrow as Allison Argent leans in to say something. Stilinski is all wide eyes looking at Jackson’s hand then his face before turning to Lydia too.  


“What did you hit Jackson?” Danny whispers worry in is voice, but the room’s mostly silent so plenty hear.  


“Not what I wanted to,” Jackson hisses back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... this is the shortest chapter yet but me and this one weren't really getting along.

As soon as Lydia got Stiles to agree with this absolute craziness she had him call Derek. That had been a fun chat. Derek on speaker negotiating with Lydia what was and was not okay. Things that were decided to be okay: being in each other's personal space, hand holding, and G rated above waist touching. A hand here or there to make them look intimate but nothing that actually would be intimate. Derek and Stiles agreed that anything below the waist - even just a hand on a knee - was a hard no for both of them. They'd said the same about kissing after Scott mentioned it. But then Lydia noted how stubborn Jackson could be, agreeing with her Derek quickly changed his tune on kissing. Causing Stiles to blurt out: "But I don't want my first kiss to be fake." That shut Lydia and Derek up real fast.  


"Oh," Derek brilliantly said after nearly a minute of silence.  


"No one? Ever?" Lydia had asked.  


"Who was I supposed to have been kissing?"  


"Erica Reyes had a crush on you for the longest time, that girl Heather - whose last name I can't think of - has a massive crush on you and has since... At least second grade," Lydia started listing like it was nothing.  


"Who was that guy we met at Lydia’s over the summer?" Scott asked.  


"Ow Nate," Lydia made a face. Nate was the son of her dad's lover. Lydia hates Nate, but he is cute.  


"He was totally checking Stiles out that day," Scott told them.  


"Cora had a crush on you freshmen year too," Derek added.  


"Bullshit," he tried to tell them only to get a chorus of no's back.  


"You can't call bullshit on the facts, Stiles," Lydia reprimanded him.  


"Fine, but where were all these facts before I got myself in a fake relationship?"  


"I thought you knew about Heather and Erica."  


"Man, that Nate guy was drooling over you to the point that I noticed."  


"We never talked before and Cora would kill me if she knew I told you... Please don't tell her."  


"Anyways, back to the matter at hand..." Lydia redirected.  


"No kissing unless it becomes blatantly necessary and we both agree to it," Derek had stated then and that was the end of the kissing talk.  


Derek would walk Stiles to class since it was all Derek’s idea. Plus, Stiles only had one class that Jackson wasn't in, so he would see them together more that way. Derek didn't really care where he sat at lunch, so he would sit with them from now on. They would go to each other’s games, even if Stiles never made it on the field. That had Stiles questioning how long this was going to last because the first lacrosse game was still two weeks away.  


Lydia's answer had been simple and yet damning in Stiles’ opinion: "As long as it takes."  


As long as it takes for what exactly though? What are they aiming for with all of this? How far beyond punching shit do they need to go? Because…  


“He punched a fucking wall or locker or something.” Stiles may be freaking out a bit, but Jackson never came back from the nurse’s office.  


“I don't think it was a wall. I mean if he punched one of these walls I'm pretty sure all the bones in his hand would be shattered,” Scott says eyeing the wall they are walking passed. He’s trying to be helpful Stiles knows that. It’s not helpful.  


“He's still punching things, Scotty.”  


“Stiles you need to calm down,” Lydia tries.  


“How am I supposed to calm down? What if the next thing he decides to punch is my face?” demands Stiles as he sits at their usual table.  


“He's not going to punch you,” Derek insists as he sits next to Stiles.  


“You don't know that!”  


“Yes, we do,” Lydia soothes from across the table. She’s trying to be calming. That’s not helpful either.  


“Lydia,” Stiles whines. Jackson is going to hit him. He is totally going to get punched in the face.  


“No, listen to me, Stiles, you need to calm down. He's not going to hit you.” She seems sure, but Stiles is still fairly certain that he may die. Yeah okay death might be an overdramatic outcome, but it’s Jackson so copious amounts of drama are par for the course.  


“I'm the one he wants to hit,” Derek puts in.  


Which makes no sense, then again Stiles can’t remember the last time his life made any sense. Oh my god, was it Sunday? That can’t be right, that’s only five day ago, it feels like it’s been much longer.  


“Oh my god, did you see his hand?” someone from a nearby table says. And yeah, it was awful, all swollen and bruised – Jackson being the stubborn idiot that he is wouldn’t go to the nurse’s office until Mrs. Finch threaten his Biology grade – but really…  


“Does no one in this school have their own life to talk about?” Stiles says out loud.  


“Last week Jackson was a high school god,” Lydia sighs. “Handsome, rich, popular, captain of this and that team, outrageous car, and vaguely smart…”  


“He’s more than vaguely smart,” Stiles puts in without thinking, she gives him a questioning look. “What? So maybe he’s not as smart as you, are any of us?”  


“You do like smart, don’t you darling?” she smirks, leaning forward.  


“What’s that suppose to mean?” Stiles defends, pulling back to sit up straighter.  


“Oh nothing,” she’s all false innocence that has the hairs on the back of his neck prickling. “As I was saying before, last week he was perfect, a dream they could all aspired to. Now, he’s just as fucked up as they are, if not more so.”  


“They were talking about us, now they’re talking about him. They’ll have something new in a few days, and again a few days after that. It will all be old news by the time his hand’s healed,” Derek assures him.  


“Unless they find out he’s punching things _because_ of us,” Stiles retorts.  


“So, it is mutual?” Derek asks Lydia ignoring Stiles’ comment.  


“What’s mutual?”  


“Nothing Stiles,” Lydia says as she shakes her head yes to Derek.  


“You’re sure?” Derek questions.  


“Here yes,” she points at Stiles, before vaguely pointing away from their group, “there not so much.”  


“Oh, there is a yes too,” he tells her nodding. “I saw it.”  


“I’m right here. Scott you can still see me, right? I haven’t mysteriously become invisible?” Stiles demands as he turns to Scott. Scott who’s been very quiet… Oh, never mind they’re all invisible to Scott at the moment. Allison’s smiling and waving at him from the lunch line.  


“We’re not talking about you darling,” Lydia smiles at him, Derek hums in agreement.  


“Really? Because you pointed right at me.”  


“Hey guys,” Allison says as she sits down next to Lydia.  


“Hi,” greets Scott, puppy love written all over him.  


“Hey,” Lydia and Stiles echo, Derek nods.  


Stiles likes Allison. He really does. Promise. Everyone likes Allison, she’s great. Hell, even the Hales like Allison. That’s how nice and well-liked Allison _Argent_ is. Well everyone except Cora but Stiles is fairly certain that Cora doesn’t like anyone – maybe Boyd and Erica, they are her friends, but even that’s questionable. But yeah, Allison’s great. It’s not her that Stiles dislikes. It’s Scott’s inability to think about anything else when she’s around.  


“This okay?” Derek asks as he slides his hand under Stiles’ where it’s resting on the table.  


Stiles nods and intertwines their fingers as he tries to look around the lunch room. Because if Derek is holding his hand then maybe Jackson is finally back. But Stiles doesn’t see him in the line or the seat beside Danny which is still empty. Maybe he’s just trying to calm Stiles’ previous freak out or distract slash shut Stiles up from whatever he and Lydia had been talking about. Stiles eyes their intertwined fingers before looking up at Derek. Derek says nothing, just gives Stiles a soft smile.  


“You guys are cute together,” Allison smiles at them and for what feels like the millionth time this week Stiles marvels at what his life has become.

 

Jackson knew he broke something. He didn’t need the fucking school nurse to tell him: “Hmm I think you may have broken something sweetie.” No shit. Then she called David or Adriana. Whichever one she called they both showed up, like he couldn’t’ve driven himself. To add insult to injury McCall’s mother was the ER nurse that checked him in.  


“Alright Jackson, what happen?” Mrs. McCall asks. Wait is it Mrs. McCall or Ms. McCall? They’re divorced but she kept his name. It’s the random kind of knowledge that Stilinski would know. Whatever, it’s not important.  


“I hit a locker,” he answers simply.  


He hears David huff disapprovingly while Adriana gives a pained “Jackson.”  


“From one to ten how would you rate the pain?” Nurse McCall continues unfazed.  


“A three when I’m not moving it.”  


“And when you are?”  


“Depends.”  


“Jackson, answer her like you have some sense,” David commands.  


“Eight or nine,” Jackson finally answers while glaring at David before rolling his eyes.  


“I can get you an ibuprofen for the pain if you want?” When he shakes his head no she goes on, “Okay, well I am going to get you an ice pack, so we can get the swelling down.”  


She leaves the door open behind her and is back in no time at all. Telling him to keep the ice pack on and that the doctor well be in soon. This time the door is closed, this time David doesn’t keep quiet.  


“Really, Jackson?”  


“Would you have rather I hit the person that pissed me off?”  


“Language,” Adriana reprimands.  


“No, I’d rather you know better than to hit anything,” David rants over her.  


“I was _angry_.”  


“That excuses nothing,” David hisses back as the door starts to open.  


“Alrighty, I hear I need to see a man about a hand,” the doctor greets. Tall, thin, bald, and clearly thinks of himself as funny. Jackson rolls his eyes and holds out his hand. “Oh yeah, we’re going to send you over to radiology. Get some close-ups of all those bones in there, so we can really see what’s going on.”  


Just like that the man is gone, they’re alone again. Jackson puts the ice pack back on his hand and waits for one of them to say something. It doesn’t take long. David goes right to threats about taking the Porsche from him, making him get a summer job to pay the medical bills, taking his credit card, and other shit that will never happen. Adriana calls an end to the threats when David starts talking about colleges. The whole thing has Jackson either regretting letting Derek get under his skin in the first place or wanting to hit him all over again. He honestly can’t decide.

 

A lot of the guy did more than one but for the most part lockers were assigned by sport. Coach Finstock demanded that anyone who did lacrosse also did cross country, probably because those were the two teams he coached. One fall, one spring giving him a near year-round reign over his players. The lacrosse slash cross country lockers were in the back closest to Finstock’s office while the basketball lockers were in the front. And yeah, it's baseball season not basketball but Derek did basketball first there for that's where his assigned locker was. Putting them on opposite sides of the room which works for Stiles, the locker room was something that he had been dreading. How was he supposed to act around Derek in there? They couldn't just ignore each other, Jackson would be there too after all. But clothes would be coming off, showers would be taken. Maybe he would skip showers, wait until he got home. Luckily the baseball coach, Coach Greene, was currently losing his shit over their first game of the season being tomorrow. So, Derek and his teammates had to hustle in and out cutting all possible pre-practice Derek interaction. Now he just had to worry about post-practice and the ‘as long as it takes’ future of this shit storm.  


“Where the hell is Whittemore? He owes me laps,” Coach demands as he walks out of his office.  


“He punched a wall or something,” someone laughs.  


“Yeah, because he’s deranged,” sneers Matt.  


“Maybe he did it just to get out of running laps,” Pierce calls from the back of the room.  


“Are you kidding me?” Coach throws his arms up. “Did he break anything?”  


“Not sure yet Coach, he's waiting to hear from the doctor about x-rays,” Danny tells them holding up his phone showing the text he got from Jackson.  


“Well he's texting so clearly he's fine,” Coach mutters.  


“Well it was only one hand,” someone says.  


“It looked pretty bad, Coach,” Stiles puts in as Scott scrunches up his face in disgust and nods.  


“Fine you can each run one extra lap.”  


“Wait we're getting Jackson's punishment? I'm one of his victims,” Matt argues.  


“And another extra lap for disagreeing with me!” Coach states as he walks out of the locker room.  


“That's not…” Matt starts before the rest of the team yell at him to shut up. “That's such bullshit,” he mumbles  


“Make it another!” they hear Coach call.  


“I swear to God if I die running laps because of Matt…” Scott shakes his head, closing his locker.  


"I will avenge you,” Stiles tells him in his Batman voice.


End file.
